Pumpkin, Watermelon and More: St. Kitts and Nevis marks significant crop growth

St. Kitts and Nevis marked a remarkable increase in agricultural production for 2024, achieving profit in crops, including Cucumber, Watermelon, Pumpkin and Cantaloupe. This impressive growth in the crop highlights the unwavering commitment and dedication of the authorities towards strengthening the agricultural sector and achieving their ‘25 by 2025’ agenda. 

As per the data, the production of pumpkin has witnessed a substantial growth of 54%, marking an increase from 91.2 metric tonnes in 2023 to 140.6 metric tonnes in 2024. Watermelon also achieved a huge jump in their production from 40.6 metric tonnes to 119.3 metric tonnes, marking a growth of 193.9%. 

The production of cucumber also increased from 34.9 metric tonnes to 84.8 metric tonnes, reflecting a significant growth of 142.9%. Cantaloupe registered the maximum growth, surging by 216.9%, increasing from 2.4 metric tonnes in 2023 to 39.3 metric tonnes in 2024. All this data was unveiled by the Acting Director at the Department of Agriculture, Y'ushaner Jeffers during the Annual Review and Planning meeting, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday. 

Significant initiatives to enhance productivity – Ministry of Agriculture 

The Ministry of Agriculture emphasised on this remarkable growth in the production of the crops and noted that this increase came on the heels of the government's targeted agricultural initiatives. They highlighted about the 25x25 Agricultural Support Package in February 2024, noting it has played a huge role in offering essential technical support, vital inputs, and climate-smart system installations to farmers.

They also mentioned about distributing a total of 25,028 agricultural inputs to around 566 local farmers, aiming to equip them with necessary resources and equipment with a vision to bolster productivity. The Agricultural Ministry also shed light on the Drought Resilience Irrigation Project which played a huge role in increase the production of cucurbits. 

The Ministry mentioned about the initiative and noted that it has facilitated the installation of polypropylene ground cover, drip lines, and other irrigation technology, enhancing water-use efficiency and optimizing crop yields amid water scarcity concerns.

The Ministry of Agriculture said that all these efforts and project highlights their commitment to strengthening the agricultural sector and reducing the food import expenditure. They further reiterated their commitment to continuing to make efforts, aimed at promoting sustainability and ensuring food security in St. Kitts and Nevis.